Closure fastener



Oct. 16, 1951 J. FELSCH CLOSURE FASTENER Filed May 5 1947 -INVENTOR. JOHN FELSCH.

ATTOENE 5f Patented Oct. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE CLOSURE FASTENER John Felsch, Irvington, N. J assignor to Volupte, Inc., Elizabeth, N. J.

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a closure fastener for containers designed to hold cosmetics or accessories or other small articles and adapted for handbag. purse or pocket use.

As generally manufactured and assembled, considerable difficulty and inconvenience are encountered in applying closure fasteners to containers. This involves riveting a spring element on the inner side of the front wall of one of the hinged portions of the container and the assembling of a solid or hollow push button and. other parts on the other side thereof. The smaller the container the smaller arethe fastener parts and the slower and more difficult the above operations become.

One of the objects of the present invention is to simplify and speed up the applying of the fastener parts to the container.

Another object of the invention is to produce a closure with a closure fastener requiring no riveting, welding, soldering or other similar operations.

A further object of the invention resides in assembling a spring in a hollow push button and then simply and easily applying the same to a container wall and securing the parts in place merely by bending over lugs provided for that purpose, the container wall being previously suitably provided with an opening and a stop member to prevent excessive movement of the parts.

A still further object of the invention resides in a hinged container for the hereindescribed and other purposes in which an easily operable catch is employed to hold the parts in closed position, which catch can be released by a light Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken at 90 to that of Fig. 3 and looking at the fastener from the interior of the container.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hollow push button forming a part of the fastener.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a fragment of the container with which the fastener is associated, and showing part of the front wall thereof.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a fastener spring per se, Figs. 5, 6, and 7 in effect constituting an exploded view of the closure fastener construction.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view through the container and fastener and showing the container in closed and latched condition.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the operation of the fastener when pressure is applied to the push button thereof to open the container.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view through the front wall and push button showing the parts of Figs. 5, 6, and 7 in assembled relation.

Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are perspective views showing details of a modification of the corresponding parts shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary sectional view through the front wall of the container and push button, and showing the parts of Figs. 1'1, 12 and 13, in assembled relation.

The container comprises a bottom portion I0, a top portion II hinged thereto at I2 and a fastener structure I3 mounted in the front wall Ifia of the bottom portion Ii! opposite the hinged rear wall thereof. The particular size, shape and character of portions ID and II may vary considerably as will be obvious. The hinging of the top and bottom portions may be carried out in any suitable or known manner per se forming no part of this invention.

The wall Ifia of bottom portion I9 is cut out to form the window I4 (Fig. 6) and the lower edge of such opening is provided near each end thereof with a lug I5 which extends vertically upwardly to form abutments for the ends of leaf spring I6 and an interlock with recesses ll of push button I8 which is of box-like nature (see Fig. 5) without a back wall. Above and opposite recesses I? is a latch element consisting of a vertical extension I9 (Figs. 8-9) and an angular lip lea which latter is adapted to engage the keeper 28 in the inner surface of the wall I Ia of top portion I I, such being best formed by slightly depressing wall I la on the inner surface thereof. Push button I 8 is also provided with a pair of ears 2| which are initially in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 5 and which are subsequently bent into the broken line positions shown in Fig. 5, after those ears have been inserted through aperture I4 in wall Illa.

Spring I6 is previously placed in position in push button [8 against vertical wall [811 prior to bending ears 2| from full to dotted line position. Leaf spring 16 normally urges push button IS in an outwardly direction and when the container is in closed condition, lip [9a is hooked over keeper 20 in wall Ha with suflicient force to keep the container closed. A slight inward pressure upon push button 18 against spring l6 causes the spring to flex, storing up energy in the spring and causing lip 18a to move out of engagement with keeper 20 (see Fig. 9). The container can then be opened. Portion II is snapped shut by a simple closing action. The construction and arrangement is such that although only a very slight pressure is needed against push button l8 for unlatching purposes, the latching structure securely holds the container tightly closed.

In the modification shown in Figs. 11 to 14, the lower edge of the opening Mb is provided centrally; thereofwith aglug hih-whichextends horizontally rearwar-dly and then vertically upwardlyto-form an abutment for the mid-portion of the spring lfia and an interlock with recess llb of, push button which is of hollow, boxlike formation similar 30 that shown in the preferred,form., Above and-opposite recess I'lb is the latch element 59 which has an angular lip ISa ada-ptedtQ engage the keeper 26 in the inner surface-ofthe wall Ha of ,the top portion of the box. As in the preferred form, pushbutton 18b:- is provided with a pair of cars 21b which, after the push button has been assembled with thelwalllfla of thebcx, may be bent into the full line position shown in Fig. 14. The spring lfianisshaped; as; shown in Fig. 13, with reentrantly curved ends 16b which nicely space the springgin-thediollow push button portion [8b. lnassembling, the spring is-placed in position in' pushbutton-ltb-prior to bending the ears 21b from full to dotted line position 11). In this .modification, as the push button 181) is pressed; it will beyieldingly resisted by the spring [6a which, because of the abutment I52), will flex at its mid-portion and storeenergy until the button is released, at which time, the spring will project the push button to its initial position and with it push the detent or hooked tongue 19a into locking engagement with its keeper.

Various other modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or principle thereof. The container is composed preferably of metal but may be made of plastic or other suitable material and in either plain or ornamented style. While cosmetics, accessories and small articles have been especially referred to, it is to be understood that the container is adapted for use with other objects whether of a cosmetic nature or not and for various small articles or materials of all sorts. The invention is rather that defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. A closure fastener comprising in combination, acontainer and closure therefor hinged to said container and having a latch keeper, the front wall of said container having an opening therethrough, an upstanding lug from the bottom wall of said opening, a hollow box-like push button slidablein said opening, a latch bolt carried by said pushbutton on the inside of said container, a spring enclosed within said push button and having a part contacting the front wall of said push button and another part abut ting against said lug whereby to urge the pushbutton outwardly and the latch bolt in engagement with the keeper on the closure, and ears integral with the pushbutton and extendible through said opening in thefront wall and bendable to contact the inner surface of the front wall of the container and thus to limit its outer movement.

2. A container having hingedly connected top and bottom sections, the bottom section having an opening through the front wall thereof, a lug extending upwardly from the lower edge of said opening, a fastener associated with said bottom section and cooperating with the top section for releasably engaging the sections, said fastener including a box-like push button extending through and slidable within said opening, ears onsaid push button: oppositely bent to lie along the inside surface of the front wall of said bottom section at'each end of the opening to limit the outward movement of said push button, a latch tongue. rising from the rearward upper cdge of said push button, a leaf spring mounted within said push button with part of said spring bearing :againstthe outer side ofsaid lug and other parts of said spring bearing against the inner sideofthe front wall of said push button.

31A container--having hingedlyconnected top andbottom-sections, the bottom section having an opening through the front wall thereof, a pair of spaced apart lugs extending upwardly from the lower edge of said opening, one near each end thereof, afastener associated with said bottom section and cooperating with the top section for releasably engaging the sections, said fastener including a box-like push button extending through and slidable within said opening, ears on said push button oppositely bent to lie along the inside surface of-the front wall of said bottom section at each; end of the opening to limit the outward movement of saidpush button, the front wallpofsaid'push button-having a partextending rearwardlyto constitute an internal abutment, aylatchtongue rising from the rearward upper edge of'said:push-button, a leaf spring mounted withinsaid pushbutton, with the cen-- tral'portion ofrsaid-2spring against said abutmentand the ends-of said spring bearing against the outer sides of-said,lugs.'

JOHN FELSCH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name. Date Y 761,461 Von Eigen May 31,1904 1,553,339 Traumuller Sept. 15, 1925 1,690,552 Reutter. Now 6, 1928v 2,203,202 Kun June..4,. 1940 2,212A40: Irelan Aug. 20, .1940

FOREIGNaPATENTS Number Country; Date I 376,875 Great Britain July 21, 1932 

